Brush-cutting machine



June 5, 1923.

W. R. BUNCH BRUSH CUTTING MACHINE Filed-May 23 1921 6 Sheets-Sheet l INV TOR.

, June 5, 1923.

W. R. BUNCH BRUSH CUTTING MACHINE 1 V IvToR` ATToRNEgs.

June 5, 1923.

w. R. lau'Nczf-i BRUSH CUTTING MACHINE Filed May 23 1921 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

v ATToRN'Ex/,s

June 5, 1923.

w. R. BUNCH BRUSH CUTTING MACHINE Filed May 25 1921 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 .June 5, 1923. 1,457,424

W. R. BUNCH v BRUSH CUTTING'A MACHINE Filed May 25, 1921 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I 7 INVENTOR.

*fama 4 ATTORNE June 5, 1923. ifi-57,424

w. R. BUNCH l BRUSH CUTTING MACHINE v Filed May 23, 1921 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 NVEN TOR. Raw@ Patented .lime 5, i923.

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WALTER It. BUNCH, or LA vnaNn, CALIFORNIA, AssIeNon er CNE-HALF rCfAItrHUR v e. HAMILTON, or FONTANA, CALIFORNIA.

`isaUsII-CII'JJTINe MACHINE.

Application filed. May 2,3,

v and vines, and reducing the same to fine chips whereby the fine cuttings thus provid` ed may be re-deposited upon the ground for fertilizing the soil.

It will be understood inthe consideration of this invention that heretofore it has been necessary to collect and` remove the prunings from orchards and vineyards and to burn the same in order that they may be finally. disposed of. Itis ajwell-known fact however, that these pruningsl are possessed of certain characteristics which' will greatly facilitate the fertilization of the soil, provided that they may be reduced lto small particles and uniformly distributed'over 'the surface of the lground. To this end l have provided a machine which is adapted to be propelled in any suitablev manner by draft animals or a motor tractor, between the rows of trees in an orchard, or between the rows of vines in a vineyard, for lcollecting the pruningspfrom the trees or vines mechanically vand conveying the same to a crushing and` cutting means,whereby the prunings may be reduced to small particles and re-deposited on the ground as the machine is moved thereover, thus eliminating all man- Y ual efforts in the collecting and distribution of the brush.

My machine embodies a self-contained power plant, a rake serving as acollector unit positioned in the rear end of the vehicle and adapted to be drawn over the ground for guiding' the brush over the bed of the vehicle, a conveyer vmechanism adapted tok receive the brush'from the collecting unit and to convey thebrush forwardly over the bed of the vehicle, and a cutting unit adapted to receive and cut the brush as it isy fed thereto, from said rconveyer units.

As the description ofmy invention progresses, certain novel characteristics and 1921 Serial No. 471,975.

functions will be disclosed, and I haveilluS-` trated one practical embodiment,y with` a.

modification thereof, embodying a preferred arrangement'of parts and .formof structure for the severalA elements of my mechanism,

which particularly'- adapts the machine to,

the 'uses hereinbefore entunerated.`

y Other subsidiary objects will appearas thedescription of'my invention progresses. l attain ltheseobjects by means of the mechanism vshown i in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l` is a vplan viewof my assembled mai ting. mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe same.

chine, partly broken away to show the cut- Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlargedperspec-- tive view of a portion of the .conveyer and bed over which the conveyer. moves..

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the said machine. f

Fig.v 5 isa fragmentary side elevation of the 'rear vend -of thefmachine, showing the collecting and guiding unitsin inoperative position, as seen when the machine isA moved from onelocation to another.

'FigmG isa rear elevation ofthe machine.l

' Fig.'7 Vis asectional elevation ofthe col;y

lecting mechanism, on line 7.-'-7 of Fig. 6.

` Fig. 8 isa sectional elevation of a guiding mechanism associated `with the collecting mechanism, on line 8 8 of Fig. 6. Y'

Fig; 9 isan* enlarged fragmentaryview of one ofthe conveyer elements. 1 y i Fig. lOis a section of the-same on line "l0-100i' Fig. 9. p Fig. l1 is an enlargedplan viewof the cutter and operating. mechanism therefor, partly in section; v

Fig. l2 is an enlarged 'side elevation of the same. 'f

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary plan view of a beater device employed in the rear of the cutting mechanism, and the operating means Y therefor. y

Figle'is a side elevation of an assembled machine particularly adapted for use inorv chards where, because of the greater sizeof the prunings, itis not practicable to'V automatically collecty the'brushfrom the ground,` this type of machine being arranged to receive the brush when thrown' thereonfby manual eort. -f

y rEhe sameor lilrecharactersof reference are used throughout the several views of ics the drawings, and in the specification, hereinafter following, for illustratingthe same or like parts of my machine.

Briefly described the machine embodies 5 several units forming a part of a single machine, and including: a suit-able rigid frame F on which all of the mechanism ismounted, and provided at the further end with pilot wheels W, 1W, mounted on an axle A 0 to which is attached a suitable draft device to the frame F a cutting mechanism C mounted at the rear of the motor lli, about midway of the ends of the frame F, a conveyer mechanism C and a bed B mounted at the rear of the cutting mechanism and extending to the rear end of the machine, a

rake or collecting device R, a guide device Gr mounted at the extreme rear end of 'the conveyer mechanism, and suitable driving and operating` connections between the motor M andthe cutting and conveying mechanism as hereinafter more fully described.

The frame F comprises two main longitudinal members j, f, extending throughout the length of the machine and inclined downwardly at the rear ends, and transverse chanthe mechanism of the machine.

nel members 1, 2, and 3, connecting said longitudinal members and rigidly attached thereto for forming a structure of suitable strength and rigidity for supporting all of The motor M is mounted at the extreme front end of the machine on a block 4, bolted to the front transverse member' 1 of the frame, and the radiator R is mounted as shown on one side of the frame above and attached to the longitudinal frame members f, and has a chain 5 suitably supported in front thereof, which is operatively kconnected to the crank shaft 6 of the motor M by means of a belt 7 operating over a drive pulley 3 on said crank shaft. and a driven pulley 9 connected with the chain.

rflic water jacket of the motor M is connected with the radiatcr at the top and bot- 55 tom in the usual manner, by pipes, as shown at 10, and the operation of the motor which drives the chain 5 will serve to cool the motor in the usual manner.

On the opposite side of the machine from the radiator R the crank shaft 6 of the motor is lextended and is provided with a driving pulley, l?, which has a driving belt l) adapted to operate thereovcr, and over a driven pulley P carried on the extended end of a transverse shaft 11 ywhich parallels the crank shaft 6 of the motor and is journaledjn bearings 12, 12 on opposite sides of a housing H, which is positioned substantially to the rear of the motor M and is mounted on the longitudinal frame members F, F. A cutter C1 is mounted on and fixed to the driven shaft 11 and includes end spiders 13, 13, a central spider 14 capable of attachment to and having bosses thereon to receive the shaft 11, and a plurality of spirally formed cutting blades 14, 14', etc., which are at-k tached to the spiders 13, 13 and 14.

The cutter C1 is of substantially the same form and operates in practically the same manner as the cutter on lawn mowers and other devices embodying this type of cutter, and a cooperating cutting bar 15 of rectan guiar cross sectional area is provided for contact with the cutter 14, and is mounted at the ends on brackets 16, 16, attached to the opposite sides of the housing H. It Will be understood that the cutting bar 15 parallels the axis of the cutting shaft 11, and the corners of said bar are arranged for contact with the cutter 14 and all of the four corners of said bar are adapted to const-itute cutting edges so that when one vof the edges may be dulled by use, the bar 15 which is of preferably square cross section may be turned so as to present a. new cutting edge for contact with the cutter 14, thus eliminating the continual sharpening of a single edge. rlhe adjustment of the cutter bar 15 may be accomplished by the removal of the pins 17 from the brackets 16 and changing the position of the bar. Rearwardly of the cutter C1 l provide two couples of feed Arollers mounted on parallel transverse axes, one in front of the other, each of said feeding couples embraces a lower roller, adapted for clock-wise rotation and having a fixed axis and an upper roller adapted for counter-clockwise rota-tion and having a yieldable axis the speed of all 0f said rollers being uniform.

The lower rollers R1 and R2 of said couples are mounted respectively, on spaced transverse shafts R3 and R, which are ournaled at opposite ends in the sides of the housing H, while the upper rollers R5 and R6 of said couples are mounted on yieldable transverse spaced shafts R7 and R8. The shaft R7 of roller R5 is journa-led at its ends in bearings 18` 18 in arms a, a, externally of the opposite sides of the housing H. and the shaft R8 of roller R6 is journaled at its ends in bearings 19, 19, of said arms. The shafts R7, and R8 of the rollers R5 and R respectively, are operatively connected together at one side of the machine, as shown in Fig. 12, by means of a sprocket chain 20 operating over sprockets 21 and 22, fixed to the ends of the shafts RT and R8 respectively, and the arms a, a, which support said yieldable shafts are resiliently held on vertically disposedplungers 23 which are slidably supported in brackets 24 attached to the sides of the housing H and have coil springs 25 on the lower ends thereof, which are adapted to compress between the lower side of the brackets 24 and the head 26 on the lower end of said plungers; The upper ends of the plungers are rigidly attached to lugs 27 integral with the arms a, a, and have nuts28 for holding the plungers and arms in proper relation.

able rollers R5 and R5 are permitted to be raised with respect to therollers R1 and R2 so 'as to admit different thicknesses of brush between said rollers. The rollers R1, R2, R5, and R6 are corrugated, as shown, longitudinally thereof for providing ribs uniform, transverse, on the peripheries of said rollers, so as to provide gripping surfaces whereby the brush which is fed to the rollers may be readily held and advanced between the roll ers to the cutter.

The cutter shaft 1l carries a pinion g adjacent one side of the housing H and eX- terior of the longitudinal frame member f, and said pinion meshes with and is adapted to drive a relatively large gear g which is mounted on a shaft 28 supported in the side of the housing H and the longitudinal frame member f, as shown in Figs. ll and l2. Another gear g of uniform size with the gear g is mounted thereabove on a shaft 28 fixed to the side of the housing H, and meshes with and is adapted to be driven by the gear g. Rotary motion is conveyed to the fixed feed roller R1 from the gear g by means of a sprocket chain 29 which operatively connects a sprocket 30 on shaft 28 of gear g anda sprocket 31 on a shaft R3 of roller R1; i

roller R2 is operatively connected with roller R1 by means of a sprocket chain 32 operating over a sprocket 33 on shaft R3 and a sprocket 34 on shaft R4.

Likewise, power is applied to roller R5 from the shaft 28 of gear g by means of a sprocket chain 35 which operatively connects a sprocket 36 on the shaft 28 and a sprocket 37 on the sha-ft R7. Roller R6 is driven from the shaft R7 in the manner hereinbefore described, and it willbe observed by reference to Figs. ll and l2 particularly, that the roller R5 may yieldrelative to the roller R1 in an arc about the axis of the shaft 28, an elongated arcuate slot 38 Vbeing provided in the sides of the housing- H to permit the movement of the shaft R7 therein. The roller R6 may also yield independently of the roller R5 and relative to the roller R2, for the reason that openings 39 are provided in the sides of the housing' H which have the sides 40 thereof arcuately formed with respect to the axis 2S. while the sides 41 of said slots are arcuately formed about the axis of the shaft R5 when said shaft is at rest, thus it will be seen that the shaft R8 may yield in as shown in the drawings Thus. the arms a, a,- which carry the yield.

axis of the shaft 28,-the arms a, a. being cor-frespondingly yieldable. y y Y 'T he cutter shaft ll in addition to operat-V ing the cutter constitutes a power medium whereby power may be applied not only to the cutter, but to the feeding mechanism of the carrier mechanism and hereinbefore described, the shaft ll is permanently driven from'the crank shaft()l of the motor. lt is not, however, desirable to impedethe momentum of the cutteiduring D the operation of the machine, while lit may be frequently necessary and desirable to disconnect the feeding mechanism andthe carrier mechanism from the driving elements, an'dto this end l have providedon one end of the shaft ll, a fly-wheel 40 which is rotatably connected withthe pinion g and is loose on the shaft ll. l also provide an eX- panding clutch device y4lvwhich is fixed toa collar 42 and has an annular groove 43 there-v in, said collar iskeyed to the shaft ll, oy means of a key 44 in an elongated key-way 45, and a clutch operating yoke'46is provided with a handle 4i' and has its lower end 48 pivoted in a portion 49 of a bracket 59 attached to the side of the housing H. The

yoke 46 has pins 5l on opposite sides thereof, which engage the groove43 atthe collar 42, so that they movement of the handle 47 will cause the collar 42 to slide inwardly on'the shaft ll and expand the shoesv 52 on the clutch, so as to Contact with their inner pcriphery 53 of the fly-wheel 40 when itis desired to impart rotary motion to vthe'feed rollers and carrier mechanism. Y

A beater mechanism is provided at the rear end and nearthe upper side of the housing H, and just above the entrance to the first set of feed rollers R2 and R5 for holding the brush downwardly as it enters the grip of the said rollers, and facilitating the feedn ing operation. Said device includes a transverse shaft 54 journaled in brackets'55 attached to the upper rear portions of the housing H, and adapted to be rotated by means of a sprocket on the extended end of shaft R4 or roller R2 and a sprocket 57 on the shaft 54. A pair of spaced brackets 58 are pivotally mounted on the shaft 54 and have bearings 59 on the ends `thereof which rotatably receive a shaft l60 paralleling the shaft 54, said shafts 54 and 60 are operatively comiected by means of a sprocket pin 6l and sprockets 62 and 63 on the shaft54, and 60 respectively. lntermediate the brackets 58, 58, l

provide a beater element which includes a plurali-ty of ltransverse#parallel and unii Y forrnly spaced bars '64, 64, connected together at the ends by means of members 65, 65. lThe beater element is adapted to be held down` wardiy in its extreme position by a spring 66 which is 4adapted to compress between the ends of the supporting brackets and arms 67 on the brackets 58. rhis structure is shown in Figs. 13 and 14.

The carrier mechanism C. as shown in Fig. 3 is mounted on the bed B in the rear end of the machine, and said bed may be inclined as shown in Figs. 2 and i, or horizontally disposed as shown in Fig. 14, depending` upon the use to which the machine is to be put. means of a pair oit transverse parallel shafts 68 and 69 which are sulistantially spaced apart, shafts GS and 69 are mounted respectively on movable frames 70 and 71, which are of rectangular form and of channeled cross section, said shafts are carried respectivelyv7 in bearings 72 and 73 attached to the outermost channel members 7% and 75 of said movable "iframes, and the innermost channel members '76 and 77 of said frames, are connected by means of a plurality of bolts '78 having); nuts "79, 79, etc., on opposite sides of the webs oi said channeled members,I so that the trames 70 and 71 which carry the shaip'ts GS and 09 may be adjusted longgjitudinally7 ot the machine 'or spacing and holdinjr the shafts G8 and 69 apart to a. desirable extent. rEhe conveyer C embodies a plurality of sprocket pins 80, 80, etc., which operate over sprockets 81, 81, etc., on the shaft 68 and over similar sprockets 82, 82, etc., on the sha tt G9 at the rear end of the machine. The movable traine 70 which carries the shaft GS has an upper bed plate 83 and a lower bed plate Set which are spaced apart and attached to the opposite legs of the channels 7 8 and '76, and provide smooth surfaces for the chains of the conveyer to move over. Likewise, the movable rame 71 at the rear end ot the bed has an upper plate 85 and a lower plate similarly arranged and attached to the channel members '75 and '77, the plate 815 extending substantially forwardly ot the rear end or the front bed plate 83 and over-lappingl the same., as shown. At the rear end oit traine 71 a curved plate S7 is attached to the lens of the channel 75 as shown in Fig. 3, the curve of this plate conforming` to the curve of the sprocket chains S0, the plates 87 having openings therein through which the rear sprockets S2 are extended.

Each of the sprocket cha-ins 80 of the conveyor C has a plurality of carrier members ot the character shown in Figs. 9 and 10 mounted thereon, said carrier Vmeinbers are pivotally connected to two of the pins 91 of the chain S0 and have spaced lugs 92 and 93 thereon for receiving said pins. and adapted to be used in lieu of one ot the links of the chain, said carriers including a rib which' projects at right angles to the chain 80 and the upper end of which is curved rearwardly, a horizontal rib 94 which is adapted to rest on the upper side This mechanism is opera-ted by` of chain 80 land has a curved end portion 95 adapted to lit over# the adjacent chain 91 of the chain, and a. connecting web 96. rFliese carriers are so arranged and connectcfl with the chains 80 that when the conveyer C moves forwardly over the upper surface of the bed B, any matter which may be deposited on said bed will be moved forwardly on the bed and into the grip of the feed rollers. Elonggated openings 97 are provided in the bed B forwardly of the shaft 68, so as to permit the carriers 90 to move downwardly therethrough, and thence around and under the lower portion of the bed and upwardly over the sprockets 82.

The rear axle A is carried in brackets 98 attached to the longitudinal frame members j' of the 1frame, and the movable frame 71 of the conveyer has elongated slots 99 formed therein through which the said axle extends and which are provided so as to permit the adjustment of the frame 71 relative to the axle.

At the sides of the frame and the bed B ot the conveyer, I provide side enclosing members 100, 100 which are substantially wider as at 101, at the rear end of the housing i, and the rear traction wheels iV', YV are provided with metal discs 102 which may be suitably attached to the spokes land rim ot the wheel for preventing the endsy of the brush from entering the spaces between` the spokes and either preventing or delayingthe movement of the brush to the 'feeding rollers.

ln the form of device shown in F ig. 14:, the mechanisn'i hereinbefore described will suiiice to all intents and purposes for ordinary work in citrus orchards and the like, where brush of large caliber may be manually deposit-ed on a conveyer C, and it will be noted that for this type or' work the bed ot the machine is horizontal rather than inclined, as just described. For many classes of work, however, and particularly in vineyards and in orchards where the brush is of small caliber the manual eiort required for collecting and depositing the brush on the bed of the machine can be eliminated by the provision of a collecting and guiding mechanism which I have clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 41:, 7 and 8. l will first describe the collec-ting,- device which embodies a plurality of curved rods fr, fr, wiich are uniformly spaced transversely of. the rear end of the machine and are staggered with respect to the conveyer chains 80. The upper ends of the rakes r, overly the rear end of the bed B and are commonly supported at opposite sides as a. 4

of the machine to la point just to the rear of the feed rollers, and are staggered with respect to the pins 80 of the conveyer. These rods constitute guides which overly .the bed plate, and as the brush ismoved and are pivotally held on a transverse rod 111 carried in brackets 112 attached to the forward side of the member 105 southat each of the rake members r may be yieldable independently of the other members, said members are resiliently held in normal position by means of coil springs 113 which are carried in socket members 114 attached to the upper web of the angle member 105,

and depending therefrom. The members 1111-' have elongated slots 115 in their lower portions through which the members r extend, and pins 116 are provided in the members 114 and disposed at right angles to the slot 115 for limiting t-he downward movement of the members 5. A protecting plate 117 is rigidly attached at its upper edge 118 to the forward web of the member 105 and is curved outwardly and downwardly around the hinges 110 of the members r,

and extends rearwardly under said rods for a substantial distance, and the rear portion of the plate 117 is curved upwardly and provided with slots 118 through which the rods r extend downwardly and are movable.

lVhen the rake unit is elevated into inoperative position as shown in Fig. 5, the member 105, the rake elements r, and the plate 117 are all bodily moved together into the position shown. It will be observed by reference to Figs. 2 and 4e that the curved portions of the members r are slightly spaced from the pins 80 of the conveyer, and the carriers 90 when raised upwardly over the rear sprockets 82 move between and project outwardly from, the rakes. The lower portions r of the rakes 1 extend upwardly and are adapted to move over the surface of the ground and gather up the loose brush on the surface thereof as the .brush is moved thereover. Thus, it will be seen that the movement of the machine over the ground will force the brush ontothe members 1' of the rake until the brush is wardly and thence forwardly onto vthe pins 80 between the bed plate B and the plate 117.

It is desirable however in addition to the provisions enumerated to hold the brush as closely in contact with the bed of the machine as possible as it is moved forwardly and over and to this end I provide a plurality of longitudinal rods 120, 120, etc., which have loops 121, etc., at their rear ends pivotally held on a transverse rod 122,

upwardly and forwardly over the bed by means of the carriers 90, they are moved under the rods 120 which serve torhold them firmly in the grip of the carriers. The hinges 121 of saidrods are supported on a transverse plate 123 which has lugs 12a for receiving the endsof the rods 122 and which is connectedat its forward portion 125 with a transverse angle member 126 carried on the rear end of a pair of -supports 127,127, attached tothe sides of the frame members f, f. Member 126 has a socket member 127 provided with an internal coil spring 128 and attached to thev members 125 and 126, said socket member is of substantially the same form as that` employed in the rake unit, and shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and are provided with slots 129 through which the rods 120 extend, and pins 130 in their ,lower ends for limit-ing thc downward movement of said rods. The conveyer mechanism is operated by means of a sprocket chain 131 oper-atingv over a sprocket 132 on sh-aft 68, and a sprocket 133 on shaft R* of roller R2; f

Now, it will be observed that kfrom the consideration `of the foregoing description of the structure and. operation of my mechanism, thatas the machine is drawn for- -wardly by suitable means over the surface of the ground between the rows of trees or vines, as the. case may be, the brush will be collectedfrom the ground automatically -as the machine progresses in its movement, and elevated by means' of the rake and carrier units described, onto the bed plate of the machine and beneath the guide unit G until the forward end of the inclined or horizontal bedv of the machine is reached, whereupon the brush will be pressed downwardly by means of the beater mechanism described, and dr-awn into the first set of feed rollers R2 and R2-which' R1 and R5 vand thence into the grip of theV cutter 01, after which the cuttings are dropped Vthrough the bottom opening of the the *housing H onto thev ground from which the brush was collected.

The speed of the cutter is substantiallyv greater than that of the other elements of the machine, so as to provide ample capacity for the machine and to cut the brush into particles of minimum size.

said rods extend forwardly of the bed BA Allv of the elements 'of my mechanism 130 are of massive structure and ample strength to effectively cut limbs of three inch caliber into small particles or approximately onehalf inch pitch, and when arranged and designed as shown and described, the pruriings from an orchard or vineyard may be quickly and readily disposed of at a minimum amount of time and at a maximum expense, and all of the value of said prunings may be retained and utilized by redepositing the same upon the ground for the purpose of' fertilization of the soil. 1

lt will be understood that my machine may be employed for other purposes than cutting brush and pi'unings from trees or the like, and the structure, form and arrangement of the several elements thereof may be modified within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention or enlarging the scope thereof.

What l claim is:

l. A brush cutting machine including a rigid frame, a power element mountedon said frame, and a rotary cutting mechanism also mounted on said frame and including av plurality of feeding elements for conveying mattei' to be cut to the cutter, and a cutter cooperating therewith, conveying means for delivering mattei' to said feeding elements, said conveyers including a plurality of parallel endless carriers for moving matter forwardly of the machine to the cutting mechanism` and a collecting device supported at the end of said conveyer mecha-v nism and movable over the surface of the ground for receiving `mattei' deposited thereon during the progress of the machine. said collecting units embracing a plurality of curved rake elements commonly mounted and independently yieldable, means for simultaneously operating all of said rake elements for moving them into inoperative position. and a guiding mechanism supported rearwardlyl of said collecting mechanism and extended longitudinally over the bed of the machine, for the purpose described.

2. A. brush cutting machine including a i'igidf frame, a power element mounted on said frame, and a rotary cutting mechanism also mounted on said frame and including a plurality of feeding` elements for conveying matter to be cut to the cutter, and a. cutter cooperating therewith,I conveying means for delivering matter to said feeding' elements, said conveyers including a plurality of parallel endless carriers for moving matter forwardly of the machine to the cutting mechanism. and a collecting device supported at the end of said conveyer mechanism and movable over the surface of the ground for receiving matter deposited thereon during the progress of the machine, said collecting units embracing a plurality of cui'ved rake elements commonly and independently yieldable, means for simultaneously operating all of said rake elements for moving them into inoperative position,

and a guiding mechanism supported rearwardly of said collecting` mechanism and extended longitudinally over the bed of the machine, said guiding mechanism including a plurality of longitudinally disposed rods commonly mounted and independently yieldable for the purpose described.

3. A brush cutting machine including a portable frame, having traction wheels thereon, a powei' element on said frame, a plurality of conveyer chains mounted on one end of said frame, a plurality of carriers connected with said chains for moving matter to be cut forwardly of the machine, and a cutting mechanism positioned forw rdly of said conveyei' mechanism and including a plurality of rotary feeding elements and a rotary cutter, whereby the matter fed thereto may be reduced to small particles, and means for operably connecting said power element with said cutting and conveying mechanism, said feeding elements being` arranged in pairs and one of the elements of each pair being yieldable relative to the other element of the pair, and also in an arcuate path relative to the axis of the cutter.

el. ln a brush cutting machine, a cutting mechanism, including a pair of rotary feeding rollers having a fixed axis and substantially spaced apart, a cutting bar paralleling the axes of said rollers and having its cutting edge aligned with the upper portions of the peripheries of said rollers, a rotary cutter having an axis parallel to said rollers and said cutting hai', and provided with blades arranged in shearing contact therewith, and a pair of yieldable feeding rollers adjustable relative to said fixed rollers. and means .for operably connecting said cutterr with said feeding rollers, said yield-y able rollers being movable in an arcuate path relative to the axis of said cutter, for the purpose described.

In a hrush cutting machine a cutting mechanism including a pair of rotary .feed-` ing rollers having a fixed axis and substantially spaced apart. a cutting har paralleling the axes of said rollers and having its cutting edge aligned with the upper portion Aof the periphcrics of said rollers, a rotary cutter having an axis parallel to said rollers and said cutting'bai', and provided with blades arranged in sheering` contact therewith, and a pair of yieldable feeding rollers adjustable relative to said fixed rollei's` and means for operably connecting said cutter with said feeding rollers, said yiel'dable rollers being movable in an arcuate path relative to the axis of said cutter, and one of said yieldable rollers being also movable in an arcuate path relative to the axis of the Vother yieldable roller. i

6. In a brush cutting machine, a rigid frame, a pair of relatively adjustable frame members mounted thereon, and forming a bed therefor, a transverse shaft mounted on each of said movablefranies, ymeans for rotating said shafts, a plurality of con veyer elements connecting said shafts, a plurality of carriers attached to said conveyer elements, and a plurality of collectingl units mounted 4above said bed and Vcurved inwardly and forwardly around the rear ends of said conveyeis, said collecting units being commonly mounted and independently yieldable for the purpose described.

7. In a brush cutting machine, a rigid frame, a pair of relatively adjustable frame members mounted thereon and forming a bed therefor, a transverse shaft mounted on each of said movable frames, means for rotating said shafts, a plurality of conveyer elements connecting said shafts, a plurality of carriers attached to said conveyer elements, and a plurality of collecting units mounted above said bed and curved inwardly and forwardly around the rear ends of said conveyers, saidcollecting yunits 'being co-mmonly mounted and independently yieldable, and a plurality of forwardly disposed longitudinal members overlying said bed and staggered with respect to said conveyeis and said collecting units, for holding matter carried by said position. A l

8. In abrush cutting machine a rigid frame, a pair of relatively adjustable frame members mounted thereon, and forming` a bed therefor, a transverse shaft mounted on each of said movable frames, means for rotatingsaid shafts, a plurality ofconveyer elements connecting said shafts, a plurality of carriers attached to said conveyer elements, and a plurality of collecting units mounted above said bed and curvedv inconveyers in ywardly and forwardly around the rear ends of said conveyer. said collecting units' being commonly mounted and independently yieldable, and a plurality of forwardlydisposed longitudinal members. overlying said bed and staggered with respect to said conveyers and said' collecting units. for holdinQr` matter carried by said conveyers in position. said longitudinal members being commonly mounted and independently yieldable. for the purpose described.

9. In a brush cutting machine a rigid main frame, a pair of relatively movable frames mounted thereon and spaced apart. means for adjusting said frames to desired positions, overlying plates carried on the top of said frames and forming a bed for the machine, other plates carried on the bottoms of said frames, a plurality of conveyer chains operably mounted on and ex vlivered in contact with` the" carrier.

plurality of carriers attached to -each of said'conveyer chainsfor moving matter forwardly of the machine, gears supported above the bed of the machine and extending forwardly into contact with the ground for Collecting and delivering matter to said' 75 carriers, and a plurality of longitudinal guide members overlying the bed of the machine and staggered with respect to said chains, for holding the matter thus delO. A brush cutting` machine includinga rigid frame havingvan inclined bed provided witli parallel longitudinal openings therein, a plurality of conveyer chains mov'-,

able over the upper surface of said bed and/1285 through said'openings, and extending therefrom at the rear ends., a collecting unit` embodying a plurality of rake elements overhanging the rear end of saidbed andA extended forwardly thereof, at their lower ends ywhen in operative position, means for bodily moving all of said elements together and supporting the same in inoperative position and separate means for each of said elements for resiliently and yieldably"gli supporting the same in operative position.`

ll.4 In a brush cutting machine a rigid frame, a bed on said frame, a. pair of transverseV shafts substantiallyv spaced apart on said frame, a plurality of'sprockets'on said ,100 shafts arranged in longitudinal alinement,

sprocket chains connecting said 'sprockets and movable oveilsaid bed, and adjustable supporting means for said shafts ,whereby lthe spacing ofsaid shafts may bechangedmlo for stretching said chains, Aar transverse beam supported on said frame and spaced from said bed, and a plurality of downwardly and rearwardly curved rake elements independently pivoted on said beam,. V ,110

as described.

l2. .in abrush cutting. machine a rigid frame, a bed on said frame, a pair of transverse shafts substantially spaced apart on said frame, a plurality' of sprockets on saidm115 shafts arranged in longitudinal alinemeiit,`z' sprocket chains connecting said sprockets and movable over said bed, -and adjustable supporting means for said shaftsk whereby the spacing of said shafts may be changed-l for stretching said chains, a transverse beam supported on said frame and spaced from said bed, a plurality of downwardly and rearwardly curved rake elements independently pivoted on said beam, and independent means for yieldably holding said rake elements in position. Y

13. In a brush cutting machine a rigid frame, a bed on said frame, a pair' of transverse shafts substantially spaced apart on 1z0 said frame, a plurality of sprockets on said shafts arranged in longitudinal alinement, sprocket chains connecting` said sprockets and movable over said bed, and adjustable supporting means for said shafts whereby the spacing of said shafts may be changed for stretching` said chains, a transverse beam supported on said frame and spaced from said bed, a. plurality of downwardly and rearwardly curved rake elements independently pivoted on said beam, and a plurality of longitudinal bars pivoted at their rear ends to said beam and extending forwardly of said bed.

la. In a brush cutting machine a rigid frame, a bed on said frame, a pair of transverse shafts substantially spaced apart on said frame, a pluralityof s prockets on said shafts arranged in longitudinal alinenient, sprocket chains connecting` said sprockets and movable over said bed, and adjustable supporting means for said shafts whereby the spacing of said shafts may be changed for stretching said chains, a transverse beam supported on said frame and spaced from said bed, a plurality of downwardly and rearwardly curved rake elements independently pivoted on said beam, and a. plurality of longitudinal bars pivoted at their rear ends to said beam and extendingforwardly of said bed and staggered with respect to said conveyers.

l5. In a brush cutting machine a rigid frame, a bed on said frame, a pair of transverse shafts substantially spaced apart on said frame, a plurality of sprockets on said shafts arranged in. longitudinal alinement, sprocket chains connecting' said sprockets and movable over said bed, an adjustable supporting means for said shafts whereby the spacing of said shafts may be changed for stretching said chains, a transverse beam supported on said frame and spaced from said bed, a plurality of downwardly and rearwardly curved rake elements independently pivoted on said beam, a plurality of longitudinal bars pivoted at their rear ends to said beam and extending forwardly of said bed and staggered with respect to said conveyers, and means for resilently holding said bars in position on said bed.

16. In a` brush cutting machine a rigid frame', a bed on said frame, a pair of transverse shaftsy substantially spaced apart on said frame, a plurality of sprockets on said ently pivoted on said beam, and a plate' attached to said beam and underlying the pivoted ends of said rake elements.

17. In a brush cutting machine av rigid frame, a bed on said frame, a pair of transverse shafts substantially spaced apart on,

said frame, a plurality of sprockets on said shafts arranged in longitudinal alineinent, sprocket chains connecting said sprockets and movable over said bed, and adjustable supporting means for said shafts whereby the spacing of said shafts may be changed for stretching said chains, a transverse beam supported on said frame and spaced from said bed, a plurality of downwardly and rearwardly curved rake elements independ-v` ently pivoted on said beam, a plate attached to said beam and underlying the pivoted ends of said rake elements, and means for pivotally supporting said beam whereby said plate and said rake elements may be moved together for rendering said rake elements inoperative.

18. In a brush cutting machine the conibination of a portable frame, a rotary cutter journaled transversely on said frame, a. stationary cutter bar paralleling the axis of and cooperating` with said cutter, al pair of spaced forwardly rotating rollers mounted substantially in the saine horizontal plane, the forms of said rollers being adjacent said cutter bar, a yieldable roller above each of said first mentioned rollers, a shaft for carrying said rollers, said frame having slots at the ends of said shafts, bearings held in said Slots for receivingthe shafts of said yieldable rollers whereby said rollers may be guided in their yielding movement, and an inclined bed rearwardly of said roller, and a plurality of transversal),VY spaced conveyer elements arranged for movement over said bed for delivering matter to saidA rollers. A

VALTER R. BUNCH. Witnesses:

J. lV. Sinaai-IY, IRENE BREEN. 

